Tag Archive: legalistic

It is difficult not to become legalistic and religious, but what measure or self examination do you hold yourself to? I heard Peter Wagner speak about his daily routine in prayer, He asks the Lord if he has sinned in anyway, if so he repents for it, he also asks the Lord to help him the three sins he feels that he is most likely to commit. I was really impressed as I began to think about the areas in which I struggle. What others deal with are not always issues for me, but my areas I seem to get caught in over and over. I so appreciated his honesty to say hey these areas I struggle to not commit sin. So I guard those areas and I pray about them daily. This idea reminds of the scripture “and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27). Again what measure or self examination do you hold yourself to?

These are John Wesley’s self-examination questions. Some of them stemmed from his days with the Holy Club, but many of them developed over the years of his traveling ministry. As you can see, sometimes the better answer is yes and sometimes no. Some require a fuller answer. All of them are challenging. Wesley himself often spoke of his own failure to keep all aspects of the plan outlined in the questions.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? 2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence? 3. Can I be trusted? 4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits? 5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? 6. Did the Bible live in me today? 7. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day? 8. Am I enjoying prayer? 9. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith? [ conversation starter questions ] 10. Do I pray about the money I spend? 11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time? 12. Do I disobey God in anything? 13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy? 14. Am I defeated in any part of my life? 15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful? 16. How do I spend my spare time? 17. Am I proud? 18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican? 19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it? 20. Do I grumble or complain constantly? 21. Is Christ real to me?